Environment

Outdoor classrooms as a way to combat childhood obesity is a continuing discussion for the Child Educational Center in La Cañada Flintridge. Throughout the year the center has planned on gathering teachers and administrators along with professionals in the area of childhood development and outdoor planning. "It is about using outdoor environments to support children in learning," said Elyssa Nelson CEC's executive director. In January over 200 teachers from Los Angeles County attended a day-long conference at the CEC where they heard speakers such as La Cañada landscape artist Ronnie Siegel.

Friends 4 Fulfillment will be offering three courses at the Community Center in La Cañada Flintridge beginning Jan. 5/6. It?s a 10 -week program in goal setting that offers support in an environment where women can work as a team to overcome challenges in their lives. Classes will be held from 10 to 11 a.m. and 7 to 8 p.m. on Mondays, beginning with an orientation on Jan. 5. Also, classes will be held from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, beginning with an orientation on Jan. 6. Visit www.friends4fulfillment.

Ten Years Ago … MacGregor Realty announced the installation of a customized in-house computer network system in their La Cañada Flintridge office. The system included a database and specialized software that allowed MacGregor agents to search available properties in a specific area for more detailed information, including color pictures, making their lives a whole lot easier. Twenty Years Ago Twenty students ages five to 12 from Pinewood Academy in La Cañada Flintridge cleaned 10 bags of trash from the Memorial Park area as part of their participation in the National Safeguard and Improve Your Environment project.

If George W. Bush is reelected as president of the United States on Nov. 2, he will have another four years to continue to undo the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Water Act and the Clean Air Act. When first elected, Mr. Bush promised to ban carbon dioxide, a noxious gas which is spewed into the atmosphere when fossil fuels are burned. But he backed away from that ban, a move that was documented in a recent PBS report on "NOW with Bill Moyers." Which means that you and I-all of us-are stuck with breathing dirty, unhealthy air, and maybe getting asthma or lung disease.

Is third time the charm? NASA's Mars rover Curiosity is considering boring into the third rock ever drilled on the Red Planet , a sandstone that could potentially reveal a wealth of information about past life-friendly environments, according to the Los Angeles Times. The rover already did a little test-drilling Tuesday on the target rock known as “Windjana,” named for a gorge in Western Australia, according to officials at Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Canada Flintridge, which manages the Mars robot.

With this state leading the way in the fight against global warming, as the governor later pointed out, it was somehow fitting that a vehicle with a distinctly California name — the Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid — was named the 2008 Green Car of the Year last week by Green Car Journal. The announcement was made Nov. 15 during media days leading up to the Los Angeles Auto Show, which opened to the public the following morning and runs through Sunday at the Convention Center in downtown L.A. Other vehicles considered for the honor were the Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid, Mazda Tribute Hybrid, Nissan Altima Hybrid and the Saturn Aura Hybrid.

Driving down Oak Grove Drive between La Cañada High School and Hahamongna Watershed Park, most would never guess deep within the park is a mini-army of 400-plus kids enjoying an old-fashioned summer. For the past 84 years, Tom Sawyer Camps, originally located in Laguna Beach, has been inviting kids to "unplug," immerse themselves in nature and spend their summer outside the vast reach of technology. The camp's two current locations are in Arcadia and here in La Cañada's own backyard.

Residents who live near an 82-year-old all-girls Catholic school are worried that a plan to renovate the campus is too ambitious for a property in a hillside community. At an environmental scoping meeting in the Council Chambers on Monday, several neighbors made public comments on Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy's planned expansion. City officials will consider their comments before preparing the environmental impact report. “It is enormous,” said John Pridjian, who lives on Inverness Drive.

T he La Cañada Thursday Club has a proud 56-year tradition of sponsoring young women from our community in the “Bal Blanc de Noel” presentation of Les Fleurettes Debutantes. This year, the Thursday Club will present 12 young women to society on Saturday evening at a black-tie gala to be held at the Omni Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. The Bal Blanc de Noel is the culminating event which celebrates their completion of a 16-month program of social and community service, as well as cultural education, personal development training and etiquette instruction.

Is third time the charm? NASA's Mars rover Curiosity is considering boring into the third rock ever drilled on the Red Planet , a sandstone that could potentially reveal a wealth of information about past life-friendly environments, according to the Los Angeles Times. The rover already did a little test-drilling Tuesday on the target rock known as “Windjana,” named for a gorge in Western Australia, according to officials at Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Canada Flintridge, which manages the Mars robot.

Residents who live near an 82-year-old all-girls Catholic school are worried that a plan to renovate the campus is too ambitious for a property in a hillside community. At an environmental scoping meeting in the Council Chambers on Monday, several neighbors made public comments on Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy's planned expansion. City officials will consider their comments before preparing the environmental impact report. “It is enormous,” said John Pridjian, who lives on Inverness Drive.

Driving down Oak Grove Drive between La Cañada High School and Hahamongna Watershed Park, most would never guess deep within the park is a mini-army of 400-plus kids enjoying an old-fashioned summer. For the past 84 years, Tom Sawyer Camps, originally located in Laguna Beach, has been inviting kids to "unplug," immerse themselves in nature and spend their summer outside the vast reach of technology. The camp's two current locations are in Arcadia and here in La Cañada's own backyard.

Friends 4 Fulfillment will be offering three courses at the Community Center in La Cañada Flintridge beginning Jan. 5/6. It?s a 10 -week program in goal setting that offers support in an environment where women can work as a team to overcome challenges in their lives. Classes will be held from 10 to 11 a.m. and 7 to 8 p.m. on Mondays, beginning with an orientation on Jan. 5. Also, classes will be held from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, beginning with an orientation on Jan. 6. Visit www.friends4fulfillment.

With this state leading the way in the fight against global warming, as the governor later pointed out, it was somehow fitting that a vehicle with a distinctly California name — the Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid — was named the 2008 Green Car of the Year last week by Green Car Journal. The announcement was made Nov. 15 during media days leading up to the Los Angeles Auto Show, which opened to the public the following morning and runs through Sunday at the Convention Center in downtown L.A. Other vehicles considered for the honor were the Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid, Mazda Tribute Hybrid, Nissan Altima Hybrid and the Saturn Aura Hybrid.

Ten Years Ago … MacGregor Realty announced the installation of a customized in-house computer network system in their La Cañada Flintridge office. The system included a database and specialized software that allowed MacGregor agents to search available properties in a specific area for more detailed information, including color pictures, making their lives a whole lot easier. Twenty Years Ago Twenty students ages five to 12 from Pinewood Academy in La Cañada Flintridge cleaned 10 bags of trash from the Memorial Park area as part of their participation in the National Safeguard and Improve Your Environment project.

Outdoor classrooms as a way to combat childhood obesity is a continuing discussion for the Child Educational Center in La Cañada Flintridge. Throughout the year the center has planned on gathering teachers and administrators along with professionals in the area of childhood development and outdoor planning. "It is about using outdoor environments to support children in learning," said Elyssa Nelson CEC's executive director. In January over 200 teachers from Los Angeles County attended a day-long conference at the CEC where they heard speakers such as La Cañada landscape artist Ronnie Siegel.

If George W. Bush is reelected as president of the United States on Nov. 2, he will have another four years to continue to undo the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Water Act and the Clean Air Act. When first elected, Mr. Bush promised to ban carbon dioxide, a noxious gas which is spewed into the atmosphere when fossil fuels are burned. But he backed away from that ban, a move that was documented in a recent PBS report on "NOW with Bill Moyers." Which means that you and I-all of us-are stuck with breathing dirty, unhealthy air, and maybe getting asthma or lung disease.